Industry's Next Big Thing May Be Small Tweaks
Source: Starr Spencer, Platts  (3/6/12)
"Presenters at the Houston CERAWeek convention said that small tweaks applied to known areas or current practices are likely to make the biggest impact in years to come." More >

Will Oil Continue Heading Higher?
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (3/6/12)
"While consumers may continue to feel the bite from higher gasoline prices, investors can use these rising prices to their advantage." More >

Dollar and Oil Hold Clues About the Future
Source: J.W. Jones, Options Trading Signals  (3/5/12)
"While gold has pulled back sharply, the likely move lower in the coming weeks and months will offer a strong buying opportunity for investors that are patient." More >

Consensus $200 Oil (and That's a Lowball Figure)
Source: Kent Moors, Money Morning  (3/5/12)
"Oil will remain constrained and subject to intense price volatility. The resulting strategy we have constructed to confront these market developments provides significant upside to investors. The further prospects, however, speak of an expanding base of new energy sources, first of all shale." More >

Disclosing More Detail About Fracking Chemicals Might Be Wise
Source: Rodney White, Platts  (3/2/12)
"Matthew Watson, senior energy policy manager for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the industry has made good progress in making information available about frack fluids. But it's not enough." More >

What Powers China
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (3/2/12)
"What does it take keep the world’s largest consumer of energy powered? National Geographic photographer Toby Smith spent two years deep inside of China in search of this answer, and found a country that relies on much more than coal for its energy." More >

The Dawn of the Natural Gas Era: Stephen Taylor
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Energy Report  (3/1/12)
New oil harvesting technologies first perfected in the Bakken are opening up production around the world. Stephen Taylor, portfolio manager of The Taylor Fund and founder of Taylor Asset Management, is excited about the prospects for several New Zealand-based efforts. He's also optimistic about the dawning of a new age for natural gas as the chemical sector steps in to prop up slumping prices in this exclusive interview with The Energy Report. More >

Gas Prices Spike: Ease Pump Price Pain with Winning Stocks
Source: Patrick Vail, Money Morning  (2/29/12)
"The average price for U.S. gas has climbed more than 10% in just the past two months. This suggests a trajectory that could produce a spike of $0.60/gallon or more by May." More >

Bill Clinton: Build Keystone XL on New Route
Source: Bloomberg, Brian Wingfield and Kim Chipman  (2/29/12)
"'The extra cost of running it is infinitesimal compared to the revenues' the pipeline could produce, Clinton said today at an energy conference in the Washington suburbs." More >

Cures for the Apathetic Investor
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (2/29/12)
"By investing in a natural resources fund, you'll have access to energy and materials stocks that should profit from rising oil prices." More >

Tap Energy Profits with Undervalued Producers: Chen Lin
Source: George S. Mack of The Energy Report  (2/28/12)
The idea of finding an undervalued stock is enticing, but how can investors distinguish between an international value tap and a bottomless money trap? Private investor and newsletter writer Chen Lin combs every continent to find junior exploration and production companies whose balance sheets outshine low stock valuations. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, Lin shares some lesser-known names that offer major profit potential. More >

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Becomes a Political Football (Yet Again)
Source: Kent Moors, Money Morning  (2/27/12)
"At some point, the rise in prices will depress demand. But there is also nothing to prevent this from recurring, in more volatile and frequent cycles. In attempting to offset the effect of oil prices on an economic recovery, the question of whether to tap the SPR may soon be the least of our worries." More >

Oil Prices and Oil Company Profits
Source: Dirk van Dijk, Zacks Investment Research  (2/27/12)
"With oil prices rising, we might expect a surge of upward earnings estimates for oil companies, but so far that is not the case. Are analysts implicitly suggesting that oil prices are going to fall back down?" More >

Japan in a Quandary as Iran Tensions Expose Energy Vulnerability
Source: Takeo Kumagai, Platts  (2/27/12)
"Japan faces a dilemma. It has to balance its changed energy needs in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster with the more urgent matter of cutting its imports of Iranian crude oil to avoid being shut out of the U.S. financial system." More >

Long Term, North American Gas Stocks Might Be Worth It
Source: Bill Holland, Platts  (2/27/12)
"The recent crop of earnings reports from exploration and production companies indicate long-term promise for the sector." More >

The Who, What and Where of Energy Investing: James West
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Energy Report  (2/23/12)
James West, publisher of the Midas Letter, asks himself three questions when considering energy investment opportunities: Who is the management? What is the asset mix? Where is the project located? He shares the names of companies in the oil, gas, uranium and lithium sectors that have all the right answers in this exclusive interview with The Energy Report. More >

Crude Oil vs. Iran: Who Blinks First?
Source: ETF Daily News, EconMatters  (2/22/12)
"Crude oil fundamentals have not changed enough to warrant this spike, but the reality remains that prices get distorted whenever there's a whiff of geopolitical tension." More >

Mailbag: A Timeline for the Natural Gas Revolution
Source: James Baldwin, Money Morning  (2/22/12)
"The U.S. will likely see an increase in solar, wind, geothermal and other 'green' sources. However, these alternative sources are not enough to fully replace such an enormous amount of power. As a result, the country will turn to natural gas to fill the void." More >

Sanctions Noose Tightens Around Iran as Buyers Seek Alternative Oil
Source: Margaret McQuaile, Platts  (2/22/12)
"International sanctions aimed at slashing Iran's main economic lifeline, its oil revenues, could have an impact on the country's export volumes well beyond the 500,000 b/d of crude that a European Union ban will displace from July." More >

The Right Way to Find Growth and Value Stocks
Source: Kevin Matras, Zachs Investment Research  (2/22/12)
"While there are still plenty of them around, it's getting harder to find stocks that fit squarely into both categories." More >

Energy Investing in Saskatchewan: Tom MacNeill
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Energy Report  (2/21/12)
Tom MacNeill doesn't have to go far to find the most unique early-stage energy companies to invest in. The President and CEO of Saskatchewan-based investment firm 49 North Resources, MacNeill is bullish on his own backyard, and says of the province's resources, "You name it, we've got it." In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, he explains why Saskatchewan resource plays trump their Alberta or Ontario counterparts. More >

EU Unfazed by Iran Oil Export Halts to UK, France
Source: Stuart Elliott, Platts  (2/20/12)
"Iran's announcement Feb. 19 that it had stopped exporting oil to France and Britain appears to be a largely symbolic move targeting the two strongest advocates of the European Union's ban on Iranian oil imports." More >

The Positive Side of the WTI–Brent Spread
Source: Kent Moors, Money Morning  (2/19/12)
"In the Midwest, refinery capacity has been strained; however, there is a glut of crude coming from Canada, which is creating a discount for these companies." More >

Oil Sands Semantics: I Say Potato, You Say Po-Tar Sands
Source: Joel Chury, VantageWire  (2/18/12)
"The key descriptor falls into two categories: oil sands or tar sands. The former is the term more commonly used among industry types. To use the term 'tar sands' is to evoke the negative, to essentially tar and feather the debate." More >

Study: 'No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination' from Fracking
Source: Shannon Brushe, Energy InDepth  (2/17/12)
"A new study from the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin has found 'no evidence' of hydraulic fracturing leading to groundwater contamination, as well as a marked trend of negative, ill-researched media coverage on the topic." More >